UCSB Will Host Detroit On Bracket Buster Saturday
UC Santa Barbara will host the University of Detroit at 8:00 p.m. (PST) on Saturday, February 22 as part of Bracket Buster Saturday. The Gaucho-Titan game will not be televised on ESPN or ESPN2, but will be part of ESPN's Fullcourt package. UCSB is one of 18 mid-major schools taking part in the first Bracket Buster Saturday. The Gauchos were one of the nine predetermined home teams, but their opponent was not known until Sunday, February 2.

Hull Selected Second-Team All-District
Senior forward Mark Hull, UCSB's second-leading scorer and its leading rebounder, has been selected Second Team All-District 15 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, it was announced today. Hull becomes the first Gaucho player since point guard Ray Kelly was selected in 1993. A a 6-foot-7 senior from Glendale, Hull is averaging 13.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He has made 57 three-point baskets, including at least
one in 22 of 23 games and the last 19 in a row. In addition, Hull has played a team-high 791 minutes, 156 more than his next closest teammate.

The Gaucho Record
UC Santa Barbara enters Thursday's game at Cal Poly with an overall record of 13-10 and a league mark of 10-3. The Gauchos have won four games in a row and eight of their last nine. In fact, the only loss suffered by UCSB in its last nine games was a heartbreaking 68-67 defeat at Long Beach State on February 1. The Gauchos are in first-place in the Big West Conference, one full game ahead of both Utah State and UC Irvine and three games ahead of fourth-place Cal Poly. UCSB swept its two games last weekend, winning at Pacific on Thursday, 62-52, and then winning at Cal State Northridge on Saturday, 67-58.

Defense Keys Gaucho Weekend Wins
The above headline is one that I have been able to use three of the last five weeks. UCSB has been playing some outstanding defense and last weekend was no different. In Thursday night's win at Pacific, the Gauchos had to buckle down defensively. Leading-scorer Branduinn Fullove suffered a concussion in the opening minute and did not return and second-leading scorer Mark Hull suffered through a 1-for-9 shooting performance, but UCSB won anyway. The Gauchos limited Pacific to just 52 points and 35.4% shooting from the field. They also held the Tigers' leading scorer Demetrius Jackson to an 0-for-7 shooting performance and received a season-high 32 points from their bench. On Saturday, the Gauchos completed a regular-season sweep of Cal State Northridge with a 67-58 win. UCSB limited the Matadors to just 37.3% shooting from the field and broke open a halftime tie to win going away. Just as importantly as the defense was the way the Gauchos protected the ball. Against a team forcing nearly 20 turnovers per game, UCSB turned the ball over just nine times.

The Williams FileBob Williams is in his fifth season as the head coach at UC Santa Barbara. Last year, he guided the Gauchos to a 20-11 overall record and an 11-7 mark in Big West Conference play. It was the school's first 20-win season since 1992. Most importantly, however, Williams led UCSB to its first Big West Conference Tournament Championship ever and first NCAA Tournament appearance in 12 years. In his first four-plus seasons in Santa Barbara, Williams' teams have posted a 75-63 overall record and a 52-27 record in Big West games. In 1998-99, his first year, the Gauchos went 15-13 overall and 12-4 in the Big West, winning the league's Western Division championship. That year, they closed the campaign by going 15-5 and Williams was selected Big West Coach of the Year. Prior to his arrival at UCSB, he spent eight years at UC Davis and in those eight years, his teams recorded 20 or more wins five times and a 158-76 record. In each of his last four seasons, the Aggies advanced to the NCAA Tournament and in 1997-98, Williams' final season, they went 31-2, won the NCAA Division II National Championship and he was named NABC Division II Coach of the Year. Including two seasons at Menlo College, Williams has a record of 264-163 at four-year schools.

Possible Starters - NotesG - Jacoby Atako - His 280 career assists rank him eighth all-time.G - Nick Jones - Has made 33 of his last 39 free throws, 84.6%.G - Branduinn Fullove - Has led the Gauchos in scoring six of the last eight games.F - Mark Hull - Now has 1,458 career points, the second-highest total in school history.F - Casey Cook - Made 5-of-6 field goal attempts in weekend road wins.

Probable Reserves - NotesG - B.J. Ward - Has played in 21 of 23 games, missing two of the last four.G - Chrismen Oliver - Produced a game-high four assists in Saturday's win at Cal State Northridge.G - Cecil Brown - Scored a career-high 16 points in win at Pacific.G - Josh Davis - 20 steals ranks him eighth on UCSB's all-time freshman list.F - Bray Skultety - Torn ACL in left knee will sideline him for the season.F - Bryan Whitehead - Averaging 7.2 rebounds in the last four games.F - Scott Rainey - Has played in 14 of 23 games on the season.F - Derek Wheeler - Has played in 11 games this season.

In Defense Of The Gauchos
Overall, UCSB leads the Big West Conference in field goal percentage defense at 41.0%. In the weekend wins at Pacific and Cal State Northridge, the Gauchos limited their opponents to a combined 45-of-124 from the field overall, 36.3%, and a meager 19.6% from beyond the three-point arc. In fact, UCSB has held its last three opponents below 40.0% shooting and to a combined 12-of-58 from three-point range, 20.7%. On the year, only three opponents have made 50.0% or better from the field against the Gauchos. Overall, 11 of UCSB's 23 opponents have shot below the 40.0% barrier, including eight of 13 Big West opponents. The Gauchos have won all eight league games in which their opponent has made fewer than 40.0% of its shots. In 13 league games, opponents are shooting exactly 40.0% from the floor, a statistic that also leads the Big West. In the last nine games, eight of which have been wins, Gaucho opponents are shooting a combined 39.0%. In the one loss over the last nine games, a one-point defeat at Long Beach State, the 49ers shot an impressive 51.2%.

What's The Point?
The point is, when your opponents don't shoot the ball well, they don't score very many points. UCSB is allowing an average of 60.9 points per game overall and 56.3 in 13 Big West games. In the last nine games, eight of which have been wins, the Gauchos have allowed an average of 55.3 points per game. UCSB has held seven of the last nine opponents below 60 points and one of the teams that scored more than 60, Cal Poly, needed a game-ending three-point barrage to break the barrier. Going back a bit further, the Gauchos have limited 16 of the last 17 opponents to fewer than 70 points and ten of the last 17 under 60 points. In 23 games this season, UCSB opponents have been held under 70 points 19 times, under 60 points 12 times, and under 50 three times. In the last four games, Utah State, Idaho, Pacific and Cal State Northridge combined for 204 points, an average of 51.0 per game. Idaho's 44-point total was a season-best for the UCSB defense. Finally, since allowing an average of 77.7 points per game in the first three games of the season, all at the BP Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, the Gauchos have held 20 opponents to an average of 58.3 points per game.

Big Wins, Marginal Defeats
Of UCSB's three Big West Conference losses, only one has been by a large margin. On January 11, the Gauchos dropped a 16-point game, 75-59, at Utah State. The other two have come by narrow margins. The Gauchos dropped a 57-55 overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton on January 4 and then a 68-67 decision at Long Beach State on February 1. Santa Barbara's ten league wins have come by comfortable margins. The Gauchos have posted wins of 16, nine, 18, 15, nine, 16, 12, eight, ten and nine points. The average margin of victory in Big West games has been 12.2 points and the average margin of defeat, including the 16-point loss at Utah State, has been 6.3 per game. In fact, of UCSB's 13 overall wins this season, seven have come by margins of 15 points or more and all of them have come by margins of eight or more points. Overall, the Gauchos are outscoring their opponents by 4.6 points per game and a league-leading average of 7.9 points per game in Big West games.

The Good Hands People
There are a number of reasons UCSB has turned things around this year. Obviously defense has been a big part of the turnaround, but another reason has been the Gauchos' ability to hold onto the ball. On the season, UCSB has committed 295 turnovers, an average of 12.8 per game, the second-lowest total in the Big West. In 13 league outings, the Gauchos have coughed-up just 143 turnovers, a league-leading 11.0 per game. UCSB has had seven games this season in which it has had fewer than ten turnovers, including three of the last four and six of the last 11. In the last five, the Gauchos have turned the ball over just six, eight, nine, 12 and nine times respectively, an average of 8.8 times per game. Impressively, UCSB committed just nine turnovers at Cal State Northridge on Saturday. The Matadors are forcing an average of 20 per game.

Something In Reserve
The concussion suffered by Branduinn Fullove and the offensive struggles of Mark Hull forced the UCSB bench to pick-up the slack in Thursday's win over Pacific. The bench came through, combining for a season-high 32 points, pulling-down 18 rebounds, passing off for six assists and coming up with four steals. On Saturday at Cal State Northridge, the non-starters did their part again with 27 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and five steals.

Wire-To-Wire
UCSB has won eight of its last nine games. The Gauchos' only loss in the last nine was a 68-67 defeat at Long Beach State on February 1. In that game, the 49ers needed a pair of free throws with less than two seconds left to win. Amazingly, in the eight wins during the current run, the Gauchos have not trailed in the second half, not once. They were tied with Cal State Northridge at halftime on Saturday, but that is the closest they have come to being behind in the second half of any of their last eight wins.

The Opposition
UCSB and Cal Poly have met on 78 occasions with the Gauchos recording a 53-25 advantage. The teams met earlier this season at the Thunderdome. UCSB defeated the Mustangs 70-61 on January 25. The win was Santa Barbara's tenth in a row in the series, all under head coach Bob Williams. Last year the Gauchos swept the series, including a 74-67 win in San Luis Obispo. UCSB and Detroit Mercy have played one time. The Gauchos and Titans met in the first round of last season's Cable Car Classic in Santa Clara with UCSB winning by a score of 86-59.

Dome, Sweet Dome
UCSB enters its game against Detroit on Saturday with a home record of 8-1 and a home winning streak of five. The Gauchos have recorded home wins over San Francisco, USC, UC Riverside, Cal State Northridge, Pacific, Cal Poly, Utah State and Idaho this season. Their average margin of victory in those eight games is an impressive 14.6 points. UCSB's lone loss in the Thunderdome this year was a tough one to absorb. The Gauchos lost to Cal State Fullerton on January 4 by a score of 57-55 in overtime. Last year, the Gauchos recorded a 10-2 record at the Thunderdome and dating back to the 2000-01 season, they have won 21 of the last 24 games at home. The last time UCSB lost a non-conference home game was on December 9, 2000 when it dropped a 75-73 decision to USC.

Road Warriors
After a very slow start, UCSB has started to emerge on the road this season. Santa Barbara has posted a 5-9 record in games away from the Thunderdome. Of that 5-9 mark, 1-4 of it has come on neutral courts and 4-5 of it has come in true road games. UCSB is 4-2 in Big West road games this season, they have won two in a row and three of the last four. The Gauchos four league road wins have come at UC Irvine, Idaho, Pacific and Cal State Northridge.

Raising A Hull-A-Baloo
Senior forward Mark Hull snapped out of a shooting slump in the win at Cal State Northridge, making 4-of-8 shots from the field and scoring 13 points. In the two previous games, Hull had averaged 6.0 points per game and had made just 2-for-16 from the field, 12.5%. In fact, in five games prior to Saturday, Hull was 10-of-41 from the field, 24.4%. While he continues to have his struggles from three-point range, the senior from Glendale has made a team-high 57 three-point baskets this season and a few games ago, he became UCSB's all-time leader in three-point baskets. With 204 career three-point buckets, Hull is the only player in school history to cross the 200 three-point barrier. He has made at least one three-point basket in 15 straight games and in 22 out of 23 this season. In fact, he has hit exactly one three-pointer in each of the last three games, but in the 12 games prior to the last three, he made at least two three-pointers. Hull has made a season-high five three-point baskets twice, once each against Cal State Fullerton and Bucknell. His 57 three-pointers this season rank as the eighth-highest single-season total in UCSB history. In addition to his three-point feats, Hull has now scored a career total of 1,458 points. In the Gauchos' last home game, a 52-44 win over Idaho on February 8, he moved past Doug Rex and into second place on the school's all-time scoring list. Hull enters Thursday's game at Cal Poly with 1,458 career points. If he can score 42 more this season, and barring injury he will, he would join Carrick DeHart (1,687) as the only players in UCSB history to score 1,500 or more points. Despite scoring in double-figures just four times in the last eight games, Hull remains the Gauchos' second-leading scorer at 13.4 points per game. He has scored in double-figures 17 times this season, including a season-high 23 in the opener against Weber State. He has also taken-over the team-lead in rebounding at 5.1 per game, going for at least five 13 times this year, including five times in the last seven games. He had a season-high 11 rebounds to go with 18 points in the first meeting between UCSB and Cal Poly. Hull also enters the Cal Poly game having played 30 or more minutes in 19 straight games and 22 times in 23 games this season. He has played in and started every game since arriving in 1999, a total of 110 in succession. Additionally, he leads the team in minutes played, having logged 156 more than Nick Jones, and he stands to become the first player in school history to lead the team in minutes played in four straight campaigns.

Fulloving It
Junior guard Branduinn Fullove bounced back nicely from a concussion last Thursday, leading the Gauchos with 19 points in Saturday's win at Cal State Northridge. In the game at Pacific, Fullove drove baseline in the opening minute of the game and gave a head fake that sent UOP's Christian Maraker in the air. Maraker came down on Fullove's head, his tooth splitting the Gaucho guard's head open and the impact giving Fullove a concussion. UCSB was forced to play the final 39 minutes against Pacific without its leading scorer. On Saturday, Fullove was not in the starting lineup, but his headache was gone and his head was stitched up. He entered the game about four minutes in and seemed to never skip a beat. In addition to his 19 points, he had six rebounds, all on the defensive end, two assists and a steal in 30 minutes. Despite his scoreless one-minute appearance in Stockton, Fullove leads UCSB in scoring at 15.4 points per game. Including the pointless game, he has led the team in scoring five times in the last six games and six times in the last eight games. He has been in double-figures eight times in the last nine games, including all eight when he played more than one minute. In one stretch of three recent games, at UC Irvine and Long Beach State and then at home against Utah State, Fullove scored 20 points or more. It marked the first time in his career that he had scored 20 or more in three straight games. Fullove is second on the team in three-point baskets with 35. He is also fifth in rebounding at 3.4 per game, but he has had five or more rebounds six times this year, including five times in his last nine games. Fullove has now scored a career total of 1,051 career points. On February 6 against Utah State, he became the 19th player in school history to score 1,000 points and now he ranks 16th on the list. He also has 121 career three-point baskets, a figure that ranks him sixth in school history.

Keeping-Up With Jones
Junior guard Nick Jones remains UCSB's third-leading scorer at 12.5 points per game. He had a solid weekend in wins over Pacific and Cal State Northridge, averaging 13.0 points per game. His 15-point performance in the win over Pacific was the most points he has scored in a Gaucho win since he went for 15 in a December 3 win over USC. In the two games, Jones made 9-of-16 shots overall, 56.2%, but he continued to struggle from the outside. In fact, after going 1-for-4 from three-point range against UOP, Jones did not attempt a three-pointer in 27 minutes at Cal State Northridge. It marked the first time this season that he did not at least attempt a three-point shot in a game. In the last four games, including the 0-for-0 against the Matadors, Jones has hit just 1-of-9 from three-point territory, 11.1%. Also, interestingly, after leading the team with eight rebounds in the win at Pacific, Jones went without a rebound on Saturday. He is still UCSB's second-leading rebounder at 4.8 boards per game, but he has gone without a rebound in two of the last three games. Jones is one of two Gauchos, Mark Hull is the other, to record a double-double this season. He had 16 points and ten rebounds on November 30 against San Francisco. He scored his season-high 20 points in each of the first two games of the year, marking the first time in his career that he had scored 20 or more in back-to-back games.

The Life Of Bryan
Junior forward Bryan Whitehead has really been a different player lately. In weekend wins over Pacific and Cal State Northridge, Whitehead played a total of 40 minutes, and while he averaged just 2.5 points in the two games, he averaged 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. In the last four games, Whitehead has averaged 20.0 minutes per outing and he has pulled down 29 rebounds, an average of 7.2 per game. He went for a career-high 11 rebounds on February 6 against Utah State and he has had five or more in five consecutive games. In addition, while he is shooting 48.3% for the year, in his last seven games Whitehead has made 13-of-22 shots, 59.1%. He also leads the team with 12 blocked shots, exactly one-half of the team's total for the season.

Atako Points The Way
Junior guard Jacoby Atako had seven points, three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals in Saturday's win over Cal State Northridge. Just as importantly, he was instrumental in the fact that UCSB committed just nine turnovers against a team that forces nearly 20 per game. Atako is now averaging 4.8 points and a team-leading 3.3 assists per game. He is among the Big West leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.8-to-1.0. Atako is also an important part of UCSB's recent defensive surge. He leads the Gauchos in steals with 26 and he has had at least one in five straight and two or more in four of the last seven games. He had five combined steals in last weekend's games. Atako also made a three-point basket at Northridge, snapping a streak of seven straight misses.

Help Cecil, Help!
Talk about stepping-up. With Branduinn Fullove out for the the final 39 minutes and Mark Hull going just 1-for-9 from the field, freshman guard Cecil Brown came through in a big way at Pacific. Brown made 5-of-9 shots from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range, and finished with a game-high and career-high 16 points. He also added five rebounds, his second-highest total ever. Brown came back with a five-point night to help the Gauchos win at Cal State Northridge. He also had a steal in each of the two games. On the year, Brown is now averaging 5.6 points per game, fourth on the team. He has scored in double-figures four times. His 16 three-point baskets also rank fourth on the team. During UCSB's run of eight wins in nine games, Brown is averaging 6.7 points per game, shooting 41.0% overall and 40.0% from three-point territory.

Just Joshing
Freshman guard Josh Davis is averaging 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. Davis, like Brown, was a key contributor in UCSB's win over Pacific last week, playing one of his best all-around games. In the win over the Tigers, he had seven points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Davis is also emerging as one of the best defensive players on the UCSB roster. Although he went without a steal in the win over Cal State Northridge, snapping a streak of five straight games with at least one, he has produced 20 on the season, the eighth highest total ever by a Gaucho freshman. In fact, of his 20 steals, 16 have come since the start of Big West play in January. While Davis is shooting 44.1% from the field overall, he has made 12-of-25 shots, 48.0%, over the last seven games. He scored a career-high 14 points in the Big West opener against UC Riverside, his only double-digit scoring game this year, but he has scored six or more six times, including five times in league play.

What's Cooking?
Sophomore forward Casey Cook has been on an offensive rollercoaster this year. In the last two games, he has made 5-of-6 shots from the field, 83.3%. His recent shooting surge has come on the heels of a five game stretch in which he made just 5-of-26 shots from the field, 19.2%. That stretch came on the heels of a four game stretch in which he made 11-of-14 shots, 78.6%. And so it goes. Cook is averaging 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He is shooting 46.5% overall and 66.7% from the free throw line. In the last ten games, he has made 22-of-28 free throws, 78.6%. In 13 Big West games, Cook is averaging 6.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He has scored in double-figures four times, three times in league play. Cook scored a career-high 16 points on November 24 against Centenary and he had 14 points on January 16 against Cal State Northridge.

Oliver's Twist
Sophomore walk-on guard Chrismen Oliver continues to give UCSB solid minutes as the back-up at the point. He is averaging 1.7 points and 1.7 assists per game overall, but in Big West games, he is scoring 2.0 points per game and passing off for 2.0 assists per game. Oliver has had a career-high five assists twice, once each at Cal on December 10, and against UC Riverside on January 2. He has had four assists in two of the last four games, including Saturday's win at Cal State Northridge. Oliver also tied his career-high with two steals in the win over the Matadors.

Ward Of The Court
Senior guard B.J. Ward has played in just two of the last four games, recording DNPs in wins over Utah State and Pacific. Ward is averaging 1.2 points per game. He has attempted just 16 shots in 130 minutes of action and has scored just four points in his last 12 appearances.

On The Horizon
Following Saturday's home game against Detroit Mercy, the Gauchos will remain in Santa Barbara for their final two home games of the season. UCSB hosts Long Beach State on Thursday, February 27 in a 5:00 p.m. game. On Saturday, March 1, the Gauchos close out their home slate with a 7:00 p.m. game against UC Irvine.